50 Years of SIFF

50 Years of SIFF

April 19-May 5, 2024

Schedule

Discover 50 years of the Seattle International Film Festival’s rich history with this series featuring some of the films that have made a lasting impression on our staff and long-time passholders.

When the Seattle International Film Festival launched in 1976, no one could’ve guessed that it would ultimately transform into one of the largest nonprofit film organizations in the United States. Over the last five decades, the Festival has presented more than 10,000 films from all over the world, and SIFF now thrives with four year-round cinema venues, educational programming, and more. 

The films in the final installment of our 50 Years of SIFF series represent some of the films that our staff and long-time passholders couldn’t forget–those experiences that meant something then, and continue to mean something years and decades later. Whether you’re a seasoned Festival-goer ready to rewatch old favorites or are a new cinema explorer, join us to discover 50 years of SIFF’s rich film exhibition history.

50 Years of SIFF: At the End of the Tunnel

Spain | 2016 | 120 min. | Rodrigo Grande

April 19 - May 3, 2024

SIFF Cinema Egyptian

Wheelchair user and computer geek Joaquin is thrust into a dangerous game of survival, double-cross, and redemption when he discovers his new neighbors, including a single mother whom he has feelings for, are planning a bank heist by tunneling under his home. Seattle International Film Festival 2017 Golden Space Needle Audience Award: Best Film and Best Director.

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50 Years of SIFF: Sorry to Bother You

USA | 2018 | 112 min. | Boots Riley

April 19 - May 5, 2024

SIFF Cinema Egyptian

In an alternate present-day version of Oakland, telemarketer Cassius Green discovers a magical key to professional success, propelling him into a universe of greed. Seattle International Film Festival 2018 selection.

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50 Years of SIFF: The Whole Wide World

USA | 1996 | 111 min. | Dan Ireland

April 20 - May 2, 2024

SIFF Cinema Egyptian

In 1930s Texas, schoolteacher and aspiring author Novalyne meets Robert E. Howard, a pulp fiction writer later famed for books including “Conan the Barbarian.” The true story of a turbulent courtship and cultural moment resonates in Dan Ireland’s classic romance. Seattle International Film Festival 1996 Opening Night selection and New American Cinema Competition Grand Jury Prize winner. Director Dan Ireland was a co-founder of SIFF.

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50 Years of SIFF: Gas Food Lodging

USA | 1992 | 101 min. | Allison Anders

April 20 - May 1, 2024

SIFF Cinema Egyptian

In a New Mexico town, a single mother and her daughters navigate love and identity amidst dusty trailer parks and fleeting romances. Seattle International Film Festival 1992 selection.

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50 Years of SIFF: To Die For

USA | 1995 | 106 min. | Gus Van Sant

April 20 - May 3, 2024

SIFF Cinema Egyptian

A chilling tale of ambition gone awry, a small-town woman stops at nothing to achieve her dreams of fame, leading to deception, manipulation, and ultimately, deadly consequences. Seattle International Film Festival 1995 Golden Space Needle Audience Award: Best Actress.

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50 Years of SIFF: Cure

Japan | 1997 | 112 min. | Kiyoshi Kurosawa

April 20 - May 4, 2024

SIFF Cinema Egyptian

In a city plagued by unexplainable murders, detective Kenichi uncovers a disturbing pattern, leading him into a chilling battle with a manipulative and mysterious adversary. Seattle International Film Festival 2001 selection, with director Kiyoshi Kurosawa highlighted at the Festival as an Emerging Master.

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50 Years of SIFF: Kiki’s Delivery Service

Japan | 1989 | 102 min. | Hayao Miyazaki

April 22 - May 5, 2024

SIFF Cinema Egyptian

In this anime feature, 13-year-old Kiki moves to a seaside town with her talking cat, Jiji, to spend a year alone, in accordance with her village's tradition for witches in training. After learning to control her broomstick, Kiki sets up a flying courier service and soon becomes a fixture in the community. But when the insecure young witch begins questioning herself and loses her magic abilities, she must overcome her self-doubt to get her powers back. Seattle International Film Festival 1998 selection.

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50 Years of SIFF: Corn Island

Georgia | 2014 | 100 min. | George Ovashvili

April 25 - May 5, 2024

SIFF Cinema Egyptian

A farmer and his teenage granddaughter sow corn on a no-man’s land island that forms in the Inguri River each spring in this powerful and award-winning life-and-death fable reminiscent of master filmmakers Bresson, Tarkovsky, and Malick with a hint of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest.” Seattle International Film Festival 2015 selection. One of Senior Programmer Maryna Ajaja's favorites.

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50 Years of SIFF: The Headless Woman

Argentina | 2008 | 87 min. | Lucrecia Martel

April 26 - May 5, 2024

SIFF Cinema Egyptian

An affluent dentist hits something in the road but neither she nor her friends report the incident. When evidence emerges that she may have killed someone, the men in her life protect her secret. An elliptical psychological drama about guilt, responsibility, and self-deception. Seattle International Film Festival 2009 selection, with director Lucretia Martel highlighted at the Festival as an Emerging Master.

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SERIES SCHEDULE:

Friday, April 19 - 4:15pm At the End of the Tunnel | 7:00pm Sorry to Bother You

Saturday, April 20 - 11:30am The Whole Wide World | 2:00pm Gas Food Lodging | 4:30pm To Die For | 7:00pm Cure

Monday, April 22 - 4:30pm Kiki's Delivery Service | 7:00pm At the End of the Tunnel

Tuesday, April 23 - 4:30pm Sorry to Bother You | 7:00pm Gas Food Lodging

Thursday, April 25 - 4:30pm The Whole Wide World | 7:00pm Corn Island

Friday, April 26 - 4:30pm The Headless Woman

Sunday, April 28 - 2:30pm Gas Food Lodging | 5:00pm Sorry to Bother You | 7:30pm The Headless Woman

Monday, April 29 - 5:00pm Corn Island | 7:30pm To Die For

Tuesday, April 30 - 5:00pm Cure | 7:30pm Kiki's Delivery Service

Wednesday, May 1 - 4:45pm At the End of the Tunnel | 7:30pm Gas Food Lodging

Thursday, May 2 - 5:00pm The Headless Woman | 7:30pm The Whole Wide World

Friday, May 3 - 5:00pm To Die For | 7:30pm At the End of the Tunnel

Saturday, May 4 - 11:30am Kiki's Delivery Service | 2:15pm Cure

Sunday, May 5 - 11:30am Corn Island | 2:00pm Sorry to Bother You | 4:45pm The Headless Woman | 7:00pm Kiki's Delivery Service